DAVAO DEL NORTE- They constantly move from one place to another to seek food and new place to stay. Their tradition pushes them to leave their dwellings when a family member dies. Their culture allows them to destroy their temporary shelter.
Historically, Ata Manobos are nomads. They hunt; they slash and burn forest to plant; they look for food to survive.
But for this year, they requested for a semi-concrete shelter, a permanent housing that can last beyond their children’s lifetime.
On September 8, the National Housing Authority (NHA) granted their request and turned over houses to 102 Ata Manobo families in Sitio Paiton, Brgy. Dagohoy, Talaingod. The housing project was the first “Pabahay para sa Lumad” project of NHA in the Philippines.
PILOT PROJECT
Engr. Carolina Angel, NHA XI regional director, affirmed that the Talaingod Housing Project was indeed the pilot housing project for indigenous people.
“With the request of the late Datu Oscar Bog-ot, Gov. Del Rosario pushed the project in a summit stating that it is high time to include the indigenous people in the housing projects of the NHA,” Angel recalled the Housing Summit held in 2011 in Davao City.
Engr. Josie Jean Rabanos, provincial planning and development coordinator of Davao del Norte, also remembered that the housing for the indigenous people was just a dream during that summit.
“During that time all that were included in the plan of the NHA were their regular housing programs; and it was the governor who forced the idea,” Engr. Rabanos said.
Angel recognized the efforts of the provincial and municipal government units in hastening the project completion through prompt submission of requirements.
THE REASON
According to Rabanos, it was the late Datu Oscar Bog-ot who constantly knocked on the door of Governor Del Rosario for a housing project for his people.
Sally Bog-ot, wife of the late Datu Bogot, said that the chieftain wanted to give his people permanent shelters away from their previous communities, which was near Paiton Lake.
To secure them from disaster, the tribal communities should live 500 meters away from the lake, Bog-ot said.
THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN
The house was no ordinary unit that the NHA built. The design was not based on its regular housing project. Angel gave credit to the Ata-Manobos for creating the design and calling it their own.
She recalled that the initial design crafted by the indigenous people was an all wooden-made house. “But as the discussions went on, they decided to change it to a semi-concrete, semi-wooden house,” she said.
The house has an area of 24 square meters with concrete base, wood panel walls and tin roofing.
Aside from the houses, a tribal hall and a worship hall will also be constructed within the area. These halls were also requested by the tribal leaders who considered these structures as important in exercising their traditional practices.
THE HAPPINESS
Datu Pandillo Bogot, son of the late Datu Oscar Bogot, expressed gladness over the realization of his father’s dream.
His face brightened up as he narrated how his community members expressed their happiness upon knowing of the housing project designed for them.
The tribe members profusely expressed their thanks by warmly welcoming us to their place. They showed us their new houses, prayed in their dialect, showcased their dances and served us their delicacies during lunch.
NHA’S NEXT BIG THING
Although the housing project was a grant from NHA, a small amount of P 150 per month will be paid by the tribal families to the municipality. This will be the basis of NHA to again extend another project to the indigenous people of Talaingod.
Heads of the tribal families were unanimous in saying that they could afford the required payments which they cited as a small fraction of their income from their farms of corn, coconut, ruber, among other agricultural crops.
The success now of the next NHA project in Talaingod, not only lies on the municipal government, but on the hands of the existing tribal beneficiaries.
Giving houses to indigenous people is the next big thing that National Housing Authority has lined up to do. It started with just an idea far from what NHA planned to do but it turned out into a meaningful project for the Ata Manobos in Talaingod. (PIA 11, Michael Uy)
No comments:
Post a Comment